Elon Musk’s influence on the platform formerly known as Twitter has been significant. He recently rebranded it as “X” and made several changes, including stripping verification of its meaning and implementing new content policies that allow for almost anything to be posted on the platform. While these changes have garnered attention, there was another alteration that went relatively unnoticed.
X recently replaced the “water pistol” emoji with a gun emoji. The announcement was made by an X employee, @yacineMTB, who shared the update on the X website. They included a post with a “Pepe the frog” meme and a side-by-side comparison of the two emojis. This change from a harmless-looking child’s toy to a gun emoji caught the attention of tech publication The Verge.
The history of this emoji change dates back to 2018 when Twitter first introduced the water pistol emoji. However, the original depiction for the emoji, as decided by the Unicode Consortium, was a gun image. In 2016, Apple made the decision to replace the gun emoji with the water pistol emoji, which was then followed by other tech companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter. This widespread adoption led the Unicode Consortium to officially update the gun emoji as the water pistol emoji.
However, X has now made the decision to revert back to the original gun emoji. Elon Musk himself acknowledged the change in a reply to the emoji announcement, stating that it would be fixed on mobile rendering soon. It is important to note that X is currently the only platform making this change, as other popular online platforms continue to display the toy water gun emoji.
This change in emoji may seem like a minor detail, but it reflects the evolving nature of online platforms and their policies. It also raises questions about how symbols and images can impact the perception and tone of online conversations. While some may argue that the gun emoji is more accurate and less ambiguous, others may criticize the decision for potentially normalizing or glorifying violence.
In conclusion, Elon Musk’s influence on X extends beyond just rebranding and content policies. The recent switch from the water pistol emoji to the gun emoji on X showcases how even small changes can generate discussion and debate. As online platforms continue to evolve, it will be interesting to see how symbols and imagery are used and interpreted in the digital landscape.